GRIFFON SOCCER NCAA REGIONAL PREVIEW
Friday, November 10^th at 1 p.m. in Mankato, Minnesota (The Pitch)
#22 Missouri Western (17-4) vs Southwestern Oklahoma (12-3-4)
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ST. JOSEPH – The goals were set. The goals were met. Now the 2017 Griffon soccer season continues this weekend in the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship.
 
No Griffon soccer team had accomplished more than 30 of the things the 2017 soccer team has already checked off its list. While the records are great, what the team really wanted first was a home postseason game. They got that and turned it into the program's first-ever postseason win. Then they won again and advanced to the MIAA Championship final and earned themselves a spot in the NCAA Division II Central Region tournament. It's unfamiliar territory for the Griffons, but this is a trailblazing group.
 
Missouri Western will play its first-ever NCAA Championship game on Friday when the No. 3-seeded Griffons take on the No. 6 seed, Southwestern Oklahoma State. The game is a culmination of a four-year build-up that has seen the program's record book re-written as MWSU has increased its win total in each of the past four seasons.
 
Entering this weekend, the Griffons have won 17 games, six more than last year's record of 11. The team's 51 goals this season are one goal short of doubling the previous program record. The defense isn't bad either, posting a program-record 13 shutouts in 2017 and allowing fewer goals per game than any previous Missouri Western soccer team. The individual accolades have come as well as all every Griffon with more than 11 starts in the regular season picked up All-MIAA honors, three were named first team.

Cassidy Menke picked up her second first team All-MIAA honor after leading the MIAA with 15 goals and 33 points. She was joined on the first team by Madeline Cowell, whose seven assists were second on the team, and Bridget Blessie who finished second in the MIAA with five game winning goals from her outside back position. Sarah Lyle was the goalkeeper of record in 11 of the team's 13 shutouts and earned second team All-MIAA honors along with MWSU career assists leader Sydney Cluck and defender Sarah Blakley. Megan Maenner earned third team honors as a midfielder and the rest of the Griffon defenders, Ashlyn Powers, Bailey Ketcham and Paige Phipps picked up honorable mentions. 
 
Chad Edwards' squad will face the Great American Conference postseason champions on Friday in Mankato, Minnesota. After two ties with GAC regular season champion Oklahoma Baptist, Southwestern Oklahoma bested OBU in the GAC tournament championship for its second-ever NCAA Championships appearance. Southwestern Oklahoma has scored 56 goals while allowing 25. The Bulldogs feature the nation's leading scorer in Alimata Rabo who enters with 27 goals and 66 points, the most in all of Division II.
 
The winner of Friday's regional quarterfinal will play No. 2 seeded-Minnesota State on Sunday at 1 p.m. Central Missouri was awarded the No. 1 seed in the region and hosts No. 4 seed Augustana (S.D.) and No. 5 seed Bemidji State this weekend.